Collapsed Trachea -- Yorkie

I have 3 male Yorkies. The oldest is 8 years old. He was diagnosed with a collapsed trachea about 10 months ago. It's painful for me to hear him honk & sometimes struggle with his breathing. So I let him guide me if something more needs to be done. So far, so good. He doesn't seem to notice he has a health problem. Here's my question: Will the collapsed trachea shorten his life span and/or can it lead to complicated conditions such as pneumonia?

Collapsing tracheas are common in older, small breed dogs. Most cases of collapsing tracheas dont suffer side effects unless they go into a fit while eating, which becomes more of a liklihood if they are really excited during meal times. Typical treatments for collapsing tracheas include oxygen therapy (if really bad episodes occur), calm walks, weight control (more fat in the thoracic/chest cavity worsens the problem), and avoiding excitement or overheating. You should talk to your vet about their opinion of putting your little guy on bronchodilators, and inhaler, or possibly steriods - all of which are common veterinary treatments for the problem.

Overall though, most dogs cope fine with the problem - just try and avoid getting the little guy riled up